UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR DISARMAMENT AFFAIRS PROVIDES SMALL ARMS DESTRUCTION

EQUIPMENT TO TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

 

NEW YORK, 25 May, Office for Disarmament Affairs — The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, through its Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) this month provided a set of small arms destruction equipment to Trinidad and Tobago, and trained national officers on the use of the equipment.  These activities aim to strengthen the capacity of Trinidad and Tobago to combat the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons nationally, as well as in the Caribbean region.

The Regional Centre provided a set of hydraulic shears to assist Trinidad and Tobago in having a permanent and sustainable capacity to destroy surplus, obsolete and confiscated small arms and light weapons.  UNLIREC trained officers of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, Police Force, Customs and Immigration and Prison Services.

The Centre previously undertook a national baseline assessment and provided 40 international standard padlocks to strengthen weapons stockpile safety and security.  The Centre’s assistance to Trinidad and Tobago to date has resulted in the destruction of 1,155 firearms, more than five tonnes of small arms ammunition and the training of 90 security sector personnel as part of its Inter-institutional Training Course on Combating the Illicit Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives.

The provision of this equipment by the Regional Centre is part of its “Firearms Destruction and Stockpile Management Assistance Package for Caribbean States”.  This Assistance Package aims at assisting Caribbean States to combat illicit arms trafficking and to implement relevant international and regional disarmament instruments such as the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms.  The Assistance Package aids States to reduce the risk of theft and diversion from Government holdings of operational, confiscated, surplus and obsolete small arms, light weapons, ammunition and explosives.

The Centre’s assistance to Caribbean States also includes the development of independent weapons monitoring and verification methodologies; the establishment of safe and efficient methods for the destruction of small arms, light weapons, ammunition and explosives based on United Nations standards; and the legal review of national small arms legislation.

This Assistance Package is implemented with the financial support of the United States.

For more information on UNLIREC, visit www.unlirec.org.  Please direct all questions or inquiries to:  Ms. Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, cowl@unlirec.org.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record